Bye-bye Becky & Hand in Hand Orphan School Visit

Friday, October 18

Margaret Hull writes:

We drove out to Yembi this morning, getting there about 8:30. Three teachers were busy teaching their students. Saturnin (that’s the spelling, but he pronounces it Saturné) had his group inside the church because the hangar for his class had blown down in the great wind and rain of yesterday.

I’ve never seen such an orderly group of kids who answered immediately to their teacher, sitting up straight and doing as told. It was very impressive! The Level 3 class was meeting under a mango tree, using a blackboard on a portable stand. The students sat on benches in front of the teacher and could gaze out at beautiful scenery all around.

Lois Wilson’s home church sponsors this Hand to Hand school. Lois arranged to have a big FETE (party) next Tuesday for all the students. She gave 75,600 CFA’s (Central African francs = about $165.) sent from the church, to Pastor Pezza who will arrange to buy the food - meat and rice and an orange for each child. There are 125 students (3 classes). The pastor was very, very appreciative.

Today we all had visitors. Lois was delighted to see her special little friend Nadia, a deaf girl of 7, who may attend a school here in Bangui for the deaf. She had come down from Bata, where the Bible School is located. Lois taught there for years.

Margaret was busy doing interviews with widows. She has finished seven and doesn’t know how many more there are to go. There were originally only eight women chosen to participate in this project, but Barb explained that no one wants to be left out, so they are all trecking in to the mission to get their story written down on paper and get their picture taken. Two of them came directly from a funeral and didn’t have their jewelry on, so Margaret had to lend them her ear rings when she took their picture.

We are wondering where Becky Dick is now. She went out to the airport four hours ahead of time last night for the plane which was to leave around midnight. About 1 AM she and another missionary who was also to go showed up at the mission. A gas leak had been discovered, so the plane did not go. A phone call this morning told them to be back out at the airport as quickly as possible. The plane was supposed to leave about 11 AM.

We all appreciated so very much Becky’s input on the team. We miss her tonight and the dogs will have to howl and bark without her notice.